Weird Granny Slater wrote:Not sure of your point, Chris. The thread title is 'SELFISH' (with indignant capitals); the OP levelled a moral charge at individuals who are either not required to, or choose not to, wear a face covering (they're only mandated in certain environments, and there's a range of exemptions in any case). My reply was a counter-charge which drew attention to a moral failing on the part of the OP, i.e. hypocrisy, with reference to his likely behaviour during previous 'killer viral epidemics' (and an implied charge of 'credulity' given the weak evidence for the health benefits of public face coverings). I didn't claim those epidemics had been 'equally widespread and contagious', only that they were 'killer viral epidemics', and I gave an example of one in recent memory in my subsequent post.
The difference between Covid and previous epidemics is that there is now plenty of evidence from research supporting the idea that wearing facemasks reduces the transmission of the virus, maybe significantly so. This is the reason that many governments (though not all), all over the world recommend their use, particularly in enclosed public areas. It's a bit unfair to blame someone for not wearing a mask during past epidemics if the benefits were previously not well understood.